Relatives and friends of Amir Khoury, the police officer killed in the terrorist attack in Bnei Brak on Tuesday, eulogized him on Wednesday as “a good person and an outstanding police officer,” his father said. “They promoted him faster than usual.”
An Arab-Israeli from Nof HaGalil who served in the Israel Police’s motorcycle unit, Khoury was killed while attempting to neutralize the terrorist. He leaves behind his parents and two sisters.
Jiris, Khoury’s father, told Army Radio that Khoury wanted to learn medicine, but after a year of studies he changed his mind and decided to be a police officer like his father.
“He was our backbone,” Habib Zinati, Khoury’s uncle, told Army Radio. “He focused on the good of his family. He wanted to build a home but it didn’t happen.”
Khoury’s girlfriend, Shani, said “he was a fighter, he was the love of my life and will be forever,” she told KAN Radio. “He said that he would take care of himself and that nothing would happen to him.”
The two were together for seven years and had planned on getting married.
“He was the best and most modest person in the world,” Shani said. “He would never talk about himself or show off in any way.”
Israel Police chief Kobi Shabtai expressed his condolences to Jiris on Tuesday night, saying, “This is a difficult event and a great disaster for the police. Along with the great disaster, it is important for me to tell you that your son saved the lives of many civilians tonight. Your son tonight became a legacy and memory of heroism for an entire country. The Israel Police will accompany you forever and with everything you need.”
Khoury, 32, was one of the five victims of the terror attack on Tuesday. The other victims were Yaakov Shalom, a Bnei Brak resident and father of five; Rabbi Avishai Yehezkeli, a yeshiva teacher and father of two; and Alexander and Dmitry, two workers from Ukraine.